1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to piping components for use with fluids in pipes. Particularly, this invention relates to piping components for use with fluids in piping in the oil, gas, petroleum and chemical industries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Piping used in the oil gas, petroleum and chemical industries are regulated in part by the Department of Transportation (“DOT”). In addition, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (“ASME”) provides standards associated with oil and gas facilities.
For example, pipes carrying hazardous liquids such as hydrocarbons are regulated by DOT Title 49 C.F.R. §195. This regulation states that piping and all associated connections be comprised of steel. This includes valves, fittings, branch connections, closures, flange connections, station piping, and other fabricated assemblies. Section 192 of Title 49 of the DOT Federal Regulations, which applies to all other piping for fluids, also requires that piping and all associated connections be comprised of steel if pressurized over 100 psig. In addition, ASME standards require all steel connections in an oil, gas, petroleum and/or chemical environment. Thus, DOT regulations and ASME standards require piping to have all steel containment when transporting hazardous liquids and carbon dioxide and/or transporting fluids that are pressurized over 100 psig.
Currently, most piping components have been comprised of all-steel, with the exception of wearing components, such as filters, gaskets and other sealing members. Steel has traditionally been used to comply with DOT regulations and ASME standards, as steel maintains its structural integrity in an environment that is typically corrosive and/or degrading in nature. However, the all-steel design of piping components make the manufacturing costs expensive.
For example, an all-steel profile plate is proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,495,872 and 5,529,093. The same patents also disclose an anti-swirl device fabricated from all steel. While both the profile plate and anti-swirl device are effective piping components, they are expensive to manufacture.
Other examples of piping components that have traditionally been comprised of steel include flowmeters, such as ultrasonic flowmeters, orifice flowmeters and turbine flowmeters; flow nozzles; meter tubes; venturi flowmeters; and other products such as those distributed by Daniel Measurement and Control, Inc. of Houston, Tex. Valves such as gate valves, ball valves, check valves, globe valves, wafer valves, butterfly valves and control valves have been primarily comprised of steel. Also, piping components, such as static mixers, several of which are proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,034,965, 4,072,296, 4,093,188, 4,314,974, 4,461,579, 4,497,751, 4,498,786, 4,600,544 and 4,806,288; small volume provers, several of which are proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,421,360, 3,673,851, 3,877,287, 4,152,922, 4,627,267 and 4,649,734; and samplers, several of which are proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,307,620, 4,390,957, 4,744,244, 4,744,255, 4,820,990, 4,926,674 and 5,129,267 preferably have a steel construction for the durable non-wearing components. These piping components and many other piping are expensive to manufacture due to their steel construction. However, the steel construction for durable non-wearing components was traditionally required to comply with ASME standards and DOT regulations so that the component holds up to the hostile fluid environment in the oil, gas, petroleum and chemical industries.
Other industries have proposed devices of different materials. For example, the water industry uses flow conditioners fabricated from polypropylene. In yet another industry, U.S. Pat. No. 7,089,963 proposes a flow laminarization device to improve the performance of turbochargers, which emphasizes a device made from one material, preferably plastic. While, an all plastic device, such as these, would be more cost effective than the current all steel flow conditioners, it would not be acceptable in the oil, gas, petroleum and chemical industries because it would not meet DOT regulations, which require steel containment.
In yet another industry, the onboard marine vessel industry, a two material device has been developed to throttle fluid flow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,941 proposes a cascade orificial resistive device (“CORD”), which is comprised of a hollow metal housing with multiple elastomeric CORD plates mounted within the body. While a two material device would be more cost effective than an all-steel piping component, the proposed cord device is not fabricated to operate in the hostile fluid environment of the oil, gas, petroleum and chemical industries.
The above discussed U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,421,360, 3,673,851, 3,877,287, 4,034,965, 4,072,296, 4,093,188, 4,152,922, 4,307,620, 4,314,974, 4,390,957, 4,461,579, 4,497,751, 4,498,786, 4,600,544, 4,627,267, 4,649,734, 4,744,244, 4,744,255, 4,806,288, 4,820,990, 4,926,674, 5,129,267, 5,327,941, 5,495,872, 5,529,093, and 7,089,963 are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes in their entirety.
It would be desirable to provide low cost piping components that both comply with DOT regulations, and ASME standards, as well as withstand the hostile fluid environment in the oil, gas, petroleum and chemical industries.